Romney is coming on March 1

Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney will visit the Puget Sound area on March 1, two days before precinct caucuses where Washington Republicans will begin to select their national convention delegation.

Romney will hold a $1,000-per-person fundraiser, with $2,500 getting guests a picture with the former Massachusetts governor: A picture with President Obama will set Democrats back $5,000 at Obama’s Feb. 17th fundraising lunch in Bellevue.

Romney

“I’ve urged them to do a public event,” said Republican State Chairman Kirby Wilbur. “The visit comes two days before the caucuses, which mean something this year.

“What if Ron Paul comes out and has an open event. It would would be nice for him (Romney) to hold a public event.”

Romney has come to the Seattle area a half-dozen times in the 2008 and 2012 campaign cycles, most recently last October. He has raised money behind closed doors, although a bevy of Occupy Seattle demonstrators greeted Romney givers outside a Seattle hotel last fall.

Romney has held just one semi-public event, a speech at Microsoft where Romney urged a tough trade policy toward China. He has never taken questions, either from Republican activists, or the regional media, or Microsoft employees who saw him last fall.